The New York Knicks are focused on winning a championship this season. They came close last year when they made it to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000. Unfortunately for the New York team, they had to deal with the Indiana Pacers. Led by Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers took over the East and went on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.
This season, New York is looking to seize the chance to take over the East. The Pacers aren’t a threat, since Haliburton won’t suit up for the entire 2025-26 campaign as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon. The Boston Celtics, the 2024 champions, also won’t be a threat since All-Star forward Jayson Tatum is rehabbing from a similar injury.
Throughout the offseason, the narrative around the East is that it’s open for any team to capture. This is why it’s the perfect moment for New York to take over.
To be the top contender in the East, however, the Knicks need to be healthy throughout the entire season. Former NBA player Richard Jefferson had questions about the team’s championship chances, citing the health of players. He specifically mentioned center Mitchell Robinson as someone who needs to be available for the team.
“Assuming health for most of their roster when you look at Mitchell Robinson, how healthy is he going to be?” Jefferson said. “Mitchell Robinson has to be healthy. If he’s not healthy and Karl-Anthony Towns is your primary big and you’re going to go through all — and you’re going to try and win a championship against all of those bigs that are floating around, if he’s not healthy during the season, they’re going to have trouble during the season, in my opinion, with Karl-Anthony Towns being the primary big.”
The $60 million big man was limited to only 17 games last season, which affected their chemistry in the playoffs.
Former NBA star Reggie Miller believes in the Knicks winning the title this season
Although former NBA star Reggie Miller is a Pacer for life, that didn’t stop him from being honest. According to Miller, he thinks that this is the season the Knicks will make it to the Finals, after last year’s disappointment.
The Hall of Famer said that the Cleveland Cavaliers could be a threat in the East since they kept their core intact. But that’s the same case for New York. The only difference is that the team has a new head coach in Mike Brown.
Fans are looking forward to seeing New York take on the new challenge of the new year.
For other sports-related content:
Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
